Critical review

The article under consideration is called "Satanism and Magic in the Age of the Moulin Rouge" written by Tara Isabella Burton whose communicable aim was to enlighten the readers about some media conflicts that took place in French history. They were caused by such mystical phenomena as occultism and Satanism. So the article is devoted to momentous and acute problems of people's world views beliefs and its influence on mass media.
The author begins her work by giving some information about one of the most popular French writers Stanislas de Guaita. To be more precise, the woman explains why de Guaita was rumored to have killed a man. Tara Isabella Burton claims that "in January 1893, the reputable Parisian newspaper Gil Blas published a letter to the editor by best-selling author Stanislas de Guaita. In it, de Guaita denies rumors that he is a sorcerer and a Satanist…" According to Stanislas' opinion, he was named an assassin because his enemy Abbé Boullan had passed away and Jules Bois with Joris-Karl Huysmans, having published some rumors in newspapers, made people think that he had died under spell craft. Besides, Tara Burton adds that Jules Bois accused de Guaita of using the controversy in order to hawk his new book and of lacking the intellectual rigor to discuss occultism in any depth. Moreover, he stated that Huysmans and he were not going to arrange a war in the small presses. In accordance with the article the men wanted to have a duel but it did not take place. Nevertheless, Joris-Karl Huysmans concluded "the damage to de Guaita's reputation was done". Tara Burton tells in detail why such celebrated names of French literature almost ended up in a newspaper battle over magic and evil spirits. The problem was that in the era of the Moulin Rouge the Parisian intelligentsia was highly interested in magic, occultism and Satanism. It caused numerous intellectual conflicts that concerned such fields like science and religion, positivism with mysticism etc. Writers knew that and did everything in order to become special and be praised by society. Their books in which the authors touched upon the problems of esotericism attracted public attention and in some time obtained mass consumption. Furthermore, Tara Burton says that "even the Catholic Church published the La revue du diable to keep churchgoers apprised of potential dangerous satanic influence". As the author writes "the occult captured the national imagination; it was not merely scandalous, but saleable". The woman also pays attention to the words of British doctor Enrest Hart who regarded "new science" to be public entertainment. Having given some evidence, Tara makes a conclusion that the doctor connected such a phenomenon as occultism with mainstream and fashion. She is sure that "occultism in Paris was less a counter-cultural movement than an utterly cultural one". It can be explained by the fact that most people get tired of everyday routine, common things quite easily. There is nothing left for them to do but become a part of a brand new movement which makes them different, special and unusual. Extraordinariness has always fascinated people and captured their attention. This is what happened in France in the age of the Moulin Rouge. According to Tara Burton's point of view, this historical fact can help us to understand such American phenomena as the satanic child abuse scandals which took place in 1980s. The writer finishes her article by stating that there are a lot of instances of moral panic as a response to a modernizing social landscape. To prove it the woman gives some examples like the increasing number of working women etc.
Thus, the article appeared to be rather argumentative. Tara Isabella Burton provided her readers with a great number of quotations which make the given information more convincing and forceful. The author gives statements, attaching historical facts and supporting details for them. Undoubtedly, the writing of this kind rises an author in the estimation of the public. Readers can trust a writer and believe in everything what he or she says. In addition, the article does not contain too many subjective judgments, which makes it impersonal and unbiased. People can notice Tara's view only at the end of the article. It can help them to realize the issue more clearly and make their own conclusions. So it goes without saying that the writer's language is quite objective. Moreover, the article is logically organized and it is easy to follow.
The following critical review has evaluated the article "Satanism and Magic in the Age of the Moulin Rouge" by Tara Isabella Burton. The arguments in the article show the absence of prejudice, the author's personal feelings and emotions. The analyzed information turned out to be well-researched and properly organized, which certainly makes it interesting and pleasant to read. Besides, the topic of the article is quite acute and important nowadays. At first, it seems to be dedicated only to French history, but in fact the work tackles the momentous issues of mass media conflicts, cultural development and influence of different trends and ideas on people's life. Thus, all these elements make the article informative and industrious. It proves the phrase: "A generation which ignores history has no past and no future". It is needless to say that similar events occur in people's life. If we know history, we can avoid making a huge number of mistakes.